TORONTO — Seven hours before his Toronto Maple Leafs took the ice for one of its biggest tests of the campaign — a Saturday-night tilt with the Boston Bruins — Sheldon Keefe sent a message to the leaders of his team. One in particular.
Coming off a stretch that saw Auston Matthews go goalless for four games — with just one in his past nine outings — the coach made clear where he stood on No. 34’s play of late.
“He’s got to do better,” Keefe said Saturday morning. “Don’t focus on the end result, or get concerned with anything other than doing the things that allow you to have success — individually, and for us as a team, most importantly.
“Auston’s a driver for our team. When he’s going, we’re going.”
By the end of the night, after a hard-fought battle that pushed these Leafs to their fifth extra-time effort in six games, Matthews had his coach singing a different tune.
“I thought he was a beast out there tonight,” Keefe said.
It was off Matthews’ stick that the home side found some life under the Scotiabank Arena lights Saturday night. The former 60-goal man got the Maple Leafs on the board 12 minutes into the second period — after the B’s had jumped out to a 2-0 lead — and then cashed in a second time with only seconds remaining in the third period, salvaging a point from the near-wreckage.
“I thought he was all over the puck,” Keefe said of his lead sniper. “I thought he attacked the net, he shot the puck. Obviously two huge goals for us. I thought he was excellent.”
The pair of tallies didn’t come easy, though. Not against a Bruins team that has made its name stifling the best offences in the game.
“I thought they were on the puck. I mean, that’s a hard team to play against,” Keefe continued. “They don’t give you much. You’ve got to earn absolutely everything. And they had looks. I mean, Auston’s first goal — that’s just earning it. There’s nothing cute about that.
“We found our way to the interior of the rink, against a team that makes it really hard to do so.”
The return of that jump in Matthews’ step, the return of that Midas touch, wasn’t lost on his teammates looking on from the bench, too.
“I think tonight they found a little magic again,” defender Simon Benoit said of Matthews and his linemates, William Nylander and Matthew Knies, who combined for a total of 19 shots on net. “They were buzzing, they were skating, they were playing physical.
“When they play like that, they dominate, for sure.”
But the brief return to form for the club’s lead talent wasn’t enough to seal the win, even with some late-game heroics and 40 shots thrown at Boston’s Linus Ullmark. And yet, the hosts are taking the one point earned as a sign of progress.
“I think it’s just two competitive teams,” Matthews said of the eventual 4-3 OT loss, once the final buzzer had sounded. “They’ve been the class of the league the last two years and the way they’ve been playing we knew it was going to be a challenge. I liked the way that we came out and played, and obviously it could’ve went either way.
“It definitely leaves a sour taste in your mouth heading home. But I thought the process that we had, and a lot of really, really good things that we did as a team — you’ve got to take those positives and continue to build momentum moving forward.”
“I thought it was a hard-played hockey game by both teams,” Keefe agreed. “Not a lot between the two teams — two teams playing hard, referees let the teams play. You know, not your typical early-December hockey game. It was a tough game out there.
“It was fast, competitive, and I thought our guys hung right there, fought their way back, and got us another point.”
Woll and Ullmark’s best saves from Maple Leafs vs. Bruins overtime
While Matthews pulled that point out of a near-loss, one-timing home the club’s second tying goal of the night in the dying seconds of the third, it was Max Domi who took the first turn as hero.
Down 2-1 after 40 minutes, the Maple Leafs were outshooting the visitors but having difficulty breaking through the suffocating Bruins defence with any type of consistency. But a sprint from Domi pulled the crowd to the edge of their seats.
The puck made its way to Nick Robertson, streaking down the right side of the offensive zone. The 22-year-old flipped it over to Domi, who collected it in the slot with acres of space around him, flashed forehand, then slipped the puck to his backhand and roofed it. The crowd erupted.
Max Domi finds space and puts away the backhand to score his first as a Maple Leaf
“It’s huge. Huge for him, and a big one [for us],” Keefe said of the goal, Domi’s first in a Maple Leafs sweater. “He’s done well for us — he’s found ways to contribute for us, in different ways, obviously. He’s made some plays to make others look good. So it’s great for him to have that moment.”
“It means a lot,” said Matthews. “It’s huge for him. He’s definitely shown that he’s a distributor and a pass-first guy, but it’s always nice to get the first one off your back. And it was a really big goal for us.”
“Just seeing the crowd respond to his goal like that,” added netminder Joseph Woll, “it was pretty cool.”
The moment wasn’t lost on No. 11 himself, either.
“I’ve said it from Day 1, I’m super happy to be playing at home, in front of my hometown fans. I’m enjoying every second of it,” Domi said from the bowels of Scotiabank Arena post-game, mulling the ovation from the Toronto faithful. Now, the hope is that he can keep them on their feet. “Of course you want to help. You want to contribute once in a while. But I mean, honestly, sometimes they want to go in, sometimes they don’t. Hopefully now we can start stringing some goals together.”
Still, hometown moment aside, team-wide progress aside, there’s only so much enjoyment to take from a night that ends with the other team’s hands raised.
“Of course it feels good to contribute. But that s— is irrelevant when you don’t win,” Domi said of the hard-fought comeback that fell just short. “Obviously we wanted to come away with two points there. But the boys battled back, showed a lot of character against a real good team, a well-coached team. They’re a heck of a hockey club for a reason.
“So, good test, and I think our group showed what we’re capable of. If we find a way to string 60 minutes together like that, we’ll be a tough team to beat as well.”
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
